"You!" Freddy growled, opening and closing his fists. "I ought to tear you to scrap for what you've done."
"Go ahead and try it. You know it won't work."
The golden figure stumbled in and another came behind it, a stallion with a black cloud of a mane and a coat of devious purple. His eyes glinted with a maniacal shine. "The golden suits aren't like your own little cages," he said tauntingly. "It's an older model, springlocks. It'd be hard to squeeze a pony into a suit built for wearing."
Foxy hefted his claw. "Ye think that's funny, ye murderous dog?"
The purple pony stared him down with his mad grin. "Mocking you dead fleshy foals in your animatronic graves? Absolutely."
The golden springlock animatronic stomped forwards. Mangle scampered away, pushing herself up onto the wall. Balloon Boy and Chica edged away from the approaching bear, fear spreading across their plastic-alloy features. Freddy rushed over and stood in its way, staring the golden bear in the dark sockets.
"Keep your freaksuit away from my friends, purple mule."
"Give it a rest, Freddy. I'll do what I like."
And with a flick of his purple horn, the golden springlock suit launched itself at Freddy. The two bears fell to the floor, tussling wildly. Freddy roared murderously, swiping at his adversary with his large hands. The springlock suit's movements were a bit sluggish but just as strong, and it held its own against Freddy under the purple pony's power.
Bonnie and the others threw themselves against the wall, trying to avoid the bear fight. The purple pony followed the tumbling bear animatronics as they rolled around the Parts and Service room, tipping over shelves of robotic appendages and kicking up layers of dust. Bonnie looked up and noticed that the way to the door was clear.
"Everyone out, quick!"
The others heard her and obeyed at once. Balloon Boy, Foxy and Chica scampered out the door, while Mangle leapt onto the ceiling and crossed the lintel into the Main Hall. Bonnie rushed after them but turned around when she reached MandoPony. The golden pony animtronic had gotten knocked to the floor during Freddy's still-ongoing fight with his springlock counterpart, and had fallen to pieces. In the center of the wreckage, MandoPony's ruined body lay sprawled, eyes staring emptily out of their original sockets.
I'm sorry, MandoPony, Bonnie thought sadly, laying a hand on his chest. She stood up to leave but stopped herself, bending back down and scooping the dead pony into her arms before running back to the door. Bonnie glanced back in, only to find the purple pony staring right back at her with his piercing gaze.
"Oh?"
Bonnie didn't wait to see what the murderer was going to do but ran out the door, hugging Mandopony close to her chest, hoping with all her being that Freddy would be okay. She ran down the Main Hall and into the central foyer of the pizzeria, where Foxy, Chica and Balloon Boy were standing, looking around with sheer panic in their eyes.
"You brought MandoPony," Chica said in a low whisper of a voice.
"I'm sorry, but I couldn't just leave him and — "
"No no, you did the right thing, Bon." Chica put a reassuring hand on Bonnie's shoulder. "We can't leave him behind."
"Wait a second, where's Mangle?" Bonnie asked after looking around the room.
Balloon Boy shook his head. "She left the Parts and Service room, but I don't think she came down the Hall with us."
"Well, where could she be?" Foxy wondered.
"Guys!"
A collection of clumsy clunking sounds echoed from the Main Hall and Mangle scurried onto the foyer ceiling. She was going so fast, she lost her grip and fell, grabbing Foxy's shoulder to avoid crashing onto the floor. "I just came in from the Office!" she panted, trying to collect herself. "Freddy and that golden freak are now in the hallway leading to it. I saw the purple pony looking into the Party Rooms, so I don't think he saw me."
"What were ye doing in the Office?" Foxy questioned, helping her up onto the merry-go-round roof.
"Looking for the security guard! She's gone!"
Shock settled in with the rest of the animatronics' mixed feelings. Even at a time like this, the lack of a security guard was not a comforting thought. "Wait, wasn't there a new security guard tonight?" Balloon Boy asked, wringing his hands. "Who was it?"
Bonnie's gaze fell to the floor, her eyes falling open. She clutched her head in her hands, wishing she had hair to pull on but could barely attain traction as it was. Did the purple pony make a detour before coming to torment his old victims? Would he continue his spree long after his original crime?
"Bonnie?" Chica called, noticing the blue animatronic's reaction. "What is-"
"Wildfire."
"Correct again, Bon."
Heavy footsteps echoed into the foyer. The golden springlock suit stomped inside, the purple pony walking in its wake. With a silent heave, the springlock animatronic threw down a dirty and beat Freddy Fazbear, his eyes open and ungazing at the pizzeria's florescent lights.
"Freddy!" Chica fell to his side, her wings working their way over his plastic-alloy body. She looked to the purple pony with murder in her eyes. "What did you do?"
"Oh, he's not broken or anything. Just put down for a little while. He's really a pain in the flank, you get me?" The unicorn turned the Bonnie, his grin unrelenting. "You're right again. Your eye in the sky for tonight was Sabrina Wildfire, the MandoPony's special somepony. I had to poke that eye out, as I couldn't have the authorities coming for me this time either. Of course, with no suits to spare, I had to shove her somewhere else."
The golden bear's hands, glowing with a deadly purple light, rose up to his steely face and gripped his cranium and jaw. With slow, almost careful movements, the two were pulled apart, revealing a frame of tightly wound springlocks that gave the suit its name and power, and that which was framed between them: a mare's head, beauty marred by fresh oozing scratches and black oil, her luscious brown mane torn and caught among the springs.
"No..."
"Ho, YES! This feels just like old times! Only one thing will can make it better."
The purple pony drew an ax out from behind the doorway. The grey metal glinted menacingly in the violet light of his magic aura. "It's like this, kids. I lucked out when I snuffed and stuffed the lot of you. The police were baffled, the pizzeria got a shred of blame and I got away. After this one, though, I may not get off so easily. So, I'm quite sad to say, I'll have to put you out for good this time. No refunds."
*
The dusty naked bulb swung slower and slower, after being thrown into a wild spin by Freddy's fight with the golden springlock suit. The light passed again and again over the strewn pieces of the Mandotronic, shining into the black unseeing sockets of its head. Huge motes of dust emphasized the stark light within the Parts and Service room, among the few things moving within it.
From the dark shadows in the corner, to which the swinging lamp could not reach, the tall thin figure of the Puppet emerged. Its long legs floated over the grungy floor, its arms with its long-reaching fingers swaying loosely beside it. The Puppet flew across the room and hovered before the silent golden mess of suit. Its black gaze searched the Mandotronic up and down, its purple tear-trails on its smiling face stupefying emotion identification.
Once again, he comes for blood. This time, however, we will not go down peacefully.
The Puppet put its long-fingered hands together, a soft light emanating between them. A tiny speck began to grow within the ball of light, growing in size and detail until it appeared as a white red-ribbon-tied gift box. The Puppet spun its fingers around the box, causing the ribbon to pull itself untied and the freed lid to lift up. As though in response, the scattered pieces of the Mandotronic rose into the air and vanished impossibly into the foot-by-foot box.
Twirling its fingers around the gift box, now containing the manipulated animatronic parts, and capped it off with the lid. The ribbon tied itself back on, sealing the box as it had appeared. The Puppet pulled its hands apart and the gift box phased out of sight. It then turned its blank-eyed gaze toward the door of the Parts and Service room, noises coming from down the hall.
Give Gifts,
Just as it had appeared, the Puppet floated back into the shadows, this time with a purpose.
Give Life.
🎁
The main room of the pizzeria had descended into chaos. Bonnie and the gang were scattered around, trying their best to avoid the clutching grasps of the controlled springlock suit and the mad ax-swinging of the purple pony. Balloon Boy and Mangle had retreated to the merry-go-round, accidentally turning it on. Chica was behind the Prize Corner, lobbing stuffed plush toys over the counter at the purple pony as a distraction. Foxy was locked in combat with the springlock suit, doing his utmost to limit its movements to avoid setting it off with Wildfire still inside it.
On the stage, Bonnie had pulled MandoPony and a barely stirring Freddy Fazbear behind the curtain, though she knew the purple pony would be on to them in no time. Peeking past the curtains, she watched the frightening scene unfold, the ferocious glinting of the ax blade, Foxy's hook and the purple pony's ever-present smile reflecting the dingy light in the room.
This won't work. He's going to win again, and no one will ever know the truth...
These dismal thoughts were doing no favors to Bonnie's already-pained psyche, and her eyes fell on MandoPony's still form once again. And you had to be the first this time, Mando, and all you were trying to do was help the pizzeria. Even now, your Wildfire is being forced to fuel our murderer's evil intentions. The unfairness just continues to stack against us, and the light evades.
SHIIIIIIIIIING
"There you aaaaaaare!"
The dingy light suddenly flooding the backstage area caught Bonnie off-guard as the curtain was pulled aside, ripped clean off the rail, the purple pony leering down at his findings. Behind him, Chica looked on horrified, out of ammo and helpless to stop the proceedings, Foxy remaining pinned under the onslaught of Wildfire's prison suit. The purple pony tilted his head, tongue flitting out like a snake in his never-fading grin.
"Guess it's time for the curtain call, Bonnie," he jeered, savoring every word as he raised his ax high overhead. "The hunt ends tonight."
Wooooosh- CLANG
Bonnie raised her arm in defense, but it wasn't hers the ax blade had embedded itself in. Looking up, she found the light blocked out by a faded golden arm, disconnected from anything else, quivering in mid-air against the violent magic of the purple pony.
"What the fu—MandoPony?!"
All focused eyes turned to the sprawled pony on the stage, particularly at the slowly revolving gift box hovering over his chest. The golden arm swung the ax loose, sending it into the darkness of the Kid's Cove, then circled back around and rested on the gift box, its empty elbow socket aligning perfectly with MandoPony's unmoving leg.
"No!"
The golden fingers yanked at the sealing ribbons of the gift box, sending a blinding light throughout the room and throwing everyone back, flesh and metal alike. Struck against the back wall with Freddy, Bonnie peered through half-closed plastic-alloy eyelids, doing her best to see through the sudden flash.
"M-m-mando?" she called out gently, unable to hide the hope in her voice.
The light died down and MandoPony's corpse had vanished from its resting place on the floor, instead floating like an angel above the stage, light still streaming from the open gift box in front of it, the one golden arm holding almost gleefully onto the rim.
"What is this?" the purple pony raged, rising to his hooves, his teeth still present in the frown now splayed over his face. "What is this trick?!"
MandoPony's head slowly rose upwards, closed eyes staring straight into whatever the purple pony had for a soul, while behind the floating musician's body, a tall spindly shadow mirrored his pose, equally unseeing eyes locked on the unicorn.
Give Gifts,
The gift box vanished, the many pieces of the Mandotronic suit floating out and around, hovering over the corresponding parts of Mando's body like a free-floating Iron Man
Give Life.
MandoPony's eyelids screwed up then blinked open, green eyes shining with an inner light of their own, gazing at the purple pony as a coy smile pulled itself onto his face.
Bonnie looked up in awe at the previously stone-dead pony, now clearly full of life. "Mando...."
He turned to look at the lagomorph animatronic, his smile turning into a calming peaceful one. "Hi, Bonnie."
The purple pony spat on the already grimy pizzeria floors. "So it's you again. You just can't keep you nose out of my business, can you? Every time, you always have to step in and do your dirty voodoo stringy gags cuz you can't let sleeping ponies die!"
MandoPony looked back at the purple pony. "What?"
Wordlessly, the ax flew out of Kid's Cove, spinning like a deadly disc towards Mando. The left Mandotronic arm flew up to block, deflecting the ax and sending it boomeranging around the room, into the floor by the purple pony's hooves, nicking his leg and drawing a none-too-red blood. The unicorn didn't even wince.
"Looks like I'll need an old friend's help." Summoning an empty aura, the purple pony drew a long knife out of thin-air, swinging it opposite the ax and bringing the two blades down together in a deadly X. He smiled back at his newly-resurrected foe. "Ready to die again?"
In the blink of an eye, the golden anthro pony suit clamped down on MandoPony, sealing him in golden armor. His fingers flexed experimentally, feeling the movements responding to his own will. The mouth of the Mandotronic smiled along with him, and Mando spread his arms openly.
"Your death, will bring peace to many more than mine."
The two deadly machines, the maniacal mulberry murderer and one of the many coffin-like animatronic suits of Freddy Fazbear's, collided in the most awesome show ever witnessed by the pizzeria stage. The purple pony's blades flashed left and right, stabbing and slicing for a hit on the Mandotronics joints and tendons, while MandoPony met the blows with raised alloy arms, earning numerous nicks to the suit.
Bonnie could only watch as Mando and the purple pony engaged in their deadly dance, their feet never touching the ground together, their legs, arms and arms flailing, each combatant struggling to overpower their adversary. On the merry-go-round, Mangle and Balloon Boy kept their heads stationary while the darn thing kept spinning. With the purple pony's focus now completely on Mando, Foxy evaded the now-slowed springlock suit and wrestled it down. Chica spectated from the Prize Corner desk and even Freddy lifted his head to view the battle.
"You go, Mando!"
"Take that freakjob down!"
"Freddy Fazbear's for-the-WIN!"
"Fight on, matey!"
Save them
With the Fazbear crew cheering him on, MandoPony felt more and more rejuvenated, taking their praise and support into him and swinging his fists harder and faster, slowly beating the purple pony back to the edge of the stage. The unicorn gave a wild swing with his ax, unbalancing himself, and Mando finally landed a blow while slapping the weapon away, knocking the purple pony off the stage and tumbling to the floor.
The murderer sat up, looking balefully at the golden pony animatronic. "Ptooeey." A bloodied tooth shot out of his mouth and clattered onto the floor.
"Take our lives, we'll take your teeth!" Balloon Boy shouted from the merry-go-round.
The purple pony gave him a menacing stare, his toothy grin ruined by the square hole in the picture. MandoPony leaped down from the stage and stood over the prone unicorn, fist held to his purple face.
"Your chain of murder ends here and now, 'purple pony'. After tonight, never again shall a foal go missing and Freddy Fazbear be given the blame for lack of evidence. No more will ponies have to look over their shoulder for fear something will try to kill them. It's over."
Once more, the broken grin beamed outwards. "So it would seem."
SHLAAAACK
"Hurrgh!"
The ax came out of nowhere, silent as a mouse, and slashing through Mando's left knee, causing him to falter. The blade arced back around to the purple pony, revolving around him alongside the knife, dripping blood and oil onto the floor.
"Or maybe," the purple pony crooned, licking the dirty ax blade with a hauntingly long tongue, "you're just hallucinating. You should take a looong rest." The mad unicorn launched himself toward the stopped Mandotronic, both weapons raised for a killing blow.